Brownies, candied apples, honey with nuts and even beer and bottled water from Hawaii were given out as samples or sold. Visitors could also buy U.S. ice cream and top it with nuts to their liking.

Invitations to the event appeared on the ATO's Japanese myfood.jp website. Organizers handed out Buddy McNutty stuffed dolls to the first 50 children.

Over 1,300 people attended. Organizers wanted to develop a venue where they could promote U.S. nuts and dried fruits, said ATO Tokyo director Steve Shnitzler.

"And doing it in a venue like this allows us to reach everyday consumers and give them a chance to sample," Shnitzler said.

The event also offered an opportunity to promote the myfood.jp website.

"After this is done, people who are visiting here can go online and see the recipes that we are using today," Shnitzler said.

Another participant, 46-year-old Miho Tsuzuki, runs a bakery school and often caters to similar occasions. This time, she made mini-cupcakes covered with either cranberry, pistachio or walnuts and "popcakes" (tiny round cakes on a stick).

"I thought these sweets I made are both cute and good-tasting. You rarely get both," Tsuzuki said.

Masumi Tsuda, 46, went to junior high school with Tsuzuki and receiving an invitation, brought along her friend, 45-year-old Mariko Otani.

Otani said she had the impression U.S. confectionery tastes overly sweet. "But here, they're just OK," she said.

Tsuda said she didn't eat nuts before, but recently a lot of Japanese eat dried fruits and nuts for health reasons.